Chants strike out 11 to take rubber match from Hose

Coastal Carolina scored a run in the second and pitchers Tyler Poole, Austin Kerr and Ryan Connolly combined to strikeout 11 as the Chanticleers took the rubber match from Presbyterian College, 1-0, on a soggy Saturday afternoon in Clinton.

Coastal (27-17, 13-5 Big South) tallied its third shutout of the season and improves to 13-5 in one-run games this season. Connolly has been involved in 10 of those 18 games, boasting a 3-2 record along with five saves.

Coastal picked up the eventual game-winning run in the second as Alex Buccilli came around to score on a RBI by Colin Hering. Buccilli, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, moved to second on a Jake Kane sac bunt before scoring on Hering’s sharp line drive through the right side.

PC (23-22, 9-9 BSC) threatened early, loading the bases with two outs in the first inning. However, Poole, the Chanticleer starter, escaped the jam unscathed as Nathan Chong lined out to Buccilli in left.

After PC’s first-inning threat, Poole settled in and retired 14 of the next 18 Blue Hose batters he faced. The right hander stuck out four, while scattering five hits in his 5.2 innings of work. Equally as impressive as the strikeouts were the eight groundball outs he induced off the bats of the PC hitters. Poole was relieved by Kerr with two out in the sixth with a runner on second.

Kerr allowed his inherited runner to reach third on a pitch in the dirt, but came back to strikeout pinch hitter Cam McRae to end the inning. Kerr continued his dominance on the mound, striking out the side in the top of the seventh. He pitched into the eighth, giving up a leadoff single before recording a pair of groundouts.

Connolly then entered the game, striking out Chong on a 3-2 pitch to end the eighth. Connolly closed the door on the Blue Hose in the ninth with a final strikeout of Jay Lizanich, earning his 10th save of the season.

Poole was credited with the win, moving his season record to 5-2. PC starter Bud Jeter went the distance in the losing effort. He allowed four hits and a pair of walks, while striking five.

Coastal returns to TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark to face Charlotte on Tuesday at 4 p.m.